Our local Blockbuster closed last year and the FYE next to it is going out of business right now. Digital media has pretty much killed these types of stores.

I don't make a lot of money and in this crap economy I've had to cut expenses so yes, I've pretty much had to stop buying games. I use Gamefly to save money and get access to games I normally wouldn't play anyways because I wouldn't have had the spare cash to spend. I'd rather support the developers and buy the game, it just isn't possible for me right now.

I hate self-checkouts. I work in retail and every self-checkout means one less employee required. Luckily my store is a pharmacy and not that big. It will be a very long time before self-checkouts come here, if ever. I've seen local stores with them though and I never use them. If you want to help support the economy without spending extra money, something as simple as not using said self-checkout helps.

Bookstores are hurting right now too thanks to Amazon and a general lack of readership. Ebooks are far from mainstream but they are contributing as a lot of big readers such as myself use them for space and portability. Indie bookshops are the first to go, then the bigger chains.

~DragonHeart~